European Alternatives to Mailgun
Looking for a European alternative to Mailgun? Mailgun belongs to the Sinch Email group, and its terms say the Agreement is governed by Texas law with the courts in San Antonio when it is entered into with Mailgun Technologies, Inc., one of several entities the terms name.
Eleven European email APIs and SMTP relays cover the developer side of transactional email, with REST APIs, webhooks and, on most, inbound handling, from companies in France, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and the UK.
How we rank these tools — 4-step process
-
1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and processes customer data in Europe. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
-
2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
-
3
Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
-
4
Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. It never buys a good review: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. Editorial policy
11 European Alternatives to Mailgun
Lettermint
Zwolle developer email service with API, SMTP, webhooks and inbound, a free plan and EU hosting
EmailLabs
Poznan API and SMTP relay with 9,000 free emails a month and data processed in the EEA
Sweego
Lille email and SMS API with 100 free emails a day, inbound routing and 7 to 90 days of logs
Brevo
Paris platform with SMTP relay and API, SMS and WhatsApp, and campaigns alongside transactional email
Scaleway Transactional Email
Paris cloud email service, EUR 0.25 per 1,000 after 300 free, dedicated IP and 99.9% uptime on Scale
MailPace
UK transactional-only email with API, SMTP, inbound webhooks, from USD 10 a month and EU hosting
Bird
Amsterdam email, SMS and WhatsApp platform, free 1,000 emails a month, US entity for US email customers
turboSMTP
Milan SMTP relay and web API with a six-month free tier and prepaid credits valid for a year
Mailjet
French email API and campaign tool in the same Sinch Email group as Mailgun, with a free 6,000 a month plan
SMTPeter
Amsterdam relay from Copernica on Dutch servers, EUR 55 a month for 25,000 messages, no free plan
Mailrelay
Madrid email marketing platform with a free tier, SMTP and API transactional sending as an add-on
Key takeaways
- Mailgun is part of Sinch Email (Sinch AB, Sweden), and its terms name Mailgun Technologies, Inc. (Texas law) and three Mailjet entities (French, English, Spanish law) without saying who gets which.
- Lettermint (Zwolle) is the closest in developer shape: API, SMTP and webhooks on the free plan, inbound from Starter, and EU hosting.
- EmailLabs (Poznan) has the largest free tier of the dedicated relays, 9,000 emails a month, with data processed in the EEA.
- Sweego (Lille) and Scaleway (Paris) publish log retention or pay-as-you-go rates, and Sweego includes inbound routing from its first paid plan.
- Mailjet is a European address in the same group as Mailgun, so it changes the entity but not the owner.
- Nine of the eleven publish a free plan or free tier; MailPace's is on request and SMTPeter has none.
Why people leave Mailgun
Mailgun is a developer-first email API. You send through a REST API or an SMTP relay, receive replies through inbound routes that arrive as JSON, and follow results through logs and event webhooks. Its own pricing page lists a free plan of 100 emails a day and paid plans from $15 a month for 10,000 emails, with an EU region you can choose from the same account.
The contract question is less simple than it looks. Mailgun is part of Sinch Email, a group of Sinch AB in Sweden that also owns Mailjet.
Its terms are shared across Mailgun, Mailjet and Email on Acid and name four possible contracting entities: Mailgun Technologies, Inc. under Texas law with the courts of San Antonio, Mailjet SAS or Mailjet GmbH under French law, Mailjet SaaS Ltd under English law and Mailjet Emailing SL under Spanish law. The terms do not say which one applies to which customer.
This page is about the developer side of transactional email: APIs, SMTP, webhooks and inbound mail. Eleven European providers qualify. If you are replacing Twilio's email product instead, see the SendGrid page, which weighs the same market for a different incumbent.
- The entity on your order decides the law If your order is placed with Mailgun Technologies, Inc., the terms say Texas law and the courts of San Antonio. If it is placed with one of the Mailjet entities, the law is French, English or Spanish. You cannot tell from the public terms which applies to you, so read the order form. The tools below each name one contracting company and one law.
- Your data may touch US group companies Mailgun's data processing agreement lists Mailgun Technologies and Sinch AB among its sub-processors, with Google Cloud, Rackspace, MacStadium and Cyxtera for infrastructure, and support entities in Bulgaria and India. It uses standard contractual clauses for transfers and says European data can be processed in Germany and Belgium. That is documented and lawful, but it is a longer chain than a single European provider with its own hosting.
- Prices are in dollars and climb with volume Mailgun lists $15 for 10,000 emails, $35 for 50,000 and $90 for 100,000 a month, with extra emails at $1.10 to $1.80 per 1,000. Several European providers publish euro prices instead (Scaleway at EUR 0.25 per 1,000, EmailLabs at EUR 23 for 100,000 on an introductory rate), which matters if you invoice in euros.
- Free plans differ more than the headline numbers suggest Mailgun's free plan is 100 emails a day with 1 day of logs. EmailLabs gives 9,000 a month, Sweego 100 a day with 7 days of logs, Lettermint 300 a month, and Bird 1,000 a month. Pick the one whose limits match how you test, not the biggest number.
What you have to replace, not just match
List what you actually use: SMTP or the REST API, how many domains, whether you receive mail through inbound routes, which webhooks drive your code, and how long you need logs. Mailgun's batch sending (up to 1,000 personalised emails per API call) and email validation are features you should check for before moving.
Add the new provider's sending domain with its own SPF and DKIM records first, send a small share of traffic through it, and keep Mailgun live until bounces and complaints look normal. Move on the domain level, not all at once, and remember that a new sending reputation needs warming up.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 | EmailLabs | Poznan, Poland | Free STARTUP up to 9,000 emails a month (300 a day) / Essential 30 at €23 a month for 100,000 / PRO 100 at €69 a month with a dedicated IP and €1.02 CPM overage / Enterprise above 1M | EU (Poland) |
| #3 | Sweego | Lille, France | Free 100 emails a day / Individual €10 a month (€8 annual) for 20,000-50,000 / Startup €79 (€63) for 100,000-200,000 / Scaleup €270 (€216) for 500,000-1,000,000 / Unicorn on quote. SMS is a separate credit system from about €0.04 a message | EU (France) |
| #4 | Brevo | Paris, France | Free (300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) / from about €8/month | EU (France) |
| #5 | Scaleway Transactional Email | Paris, France | From about €0.0025/hour (DEV1-S) | EU (France) |
| #6 | MailPace | United Kingdom | $10 a month for the first 10,000 emails, then usage-based; every feature is on every plan | UK |
| #7 | Bird | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Free 1,000 emails a month / Startup from $15 a month (50,000-100,000) at $0.30 per 1,000 / Growth from $80 a month up to 2.5M / Enterprise above that; dedicated IP $24.95 a month | EU (Netherlands) for customers outside the United States |
| #8 | turboSMTP | Milan, Italy | Free up to 200 emails a day for the first six months / Basic €14.95 a month for up to 15,000 emails / Pro €79.95 a month, adding a dedicated IP, custom routing, a 365-day analytics database and up to 100 subaccounts / Enterprise custom pricing above 2.5 million emails a month; prepaid pay-as-you-go credits from €49 for 50,000 emails up to €790 for 1 million, unused credits expiring after a year | EU (Italy) |
| #9 | Mailjet | Paris, France | Free tier / from about €15/month | EU (France) |
| #10 | SMTPeter | Amsterdam, Netherlands | €55 a month for 25,000 messages on one IP and one domain, then €0.23 per 1,000, falling to €0.22, €0.17, €0.06 and €0.05 as volume rises; optional support contract €89 a month | EU (Netherlands) |
| #11 | Mailrelay | Torrelodones, Madrid, Spain | Free for 80,000 emails a month to 20,000 contacts; transactional email is an add-on at €14.95 a month after a 30-day trial; paid plans are priced from a volume slider rather than a published table | EU (Spain) |
How each alternative compares to Mailgun
Lettermint
the closest in developer shape, from Zwolle
Best for: Developers who want an API-first service with webhooks, inbound and EU hosting
Lettermint is run by Lettermint B.V., Willemsvaart 16 B, 8019 AB Zwolle (KvK 99337711), a Dutch company.
Its free plan offers 300 emails a month with SMTP, API and webhooks. Starter adds inbound email, a sandbox mode and open and click tracking, and paid plans start at about EUR 10 to 15 a month for 10,000 emails. Higher tiers add more domains, custom tracking domains and spam insights, with dedicated IPs as an add-on.
By its own page it hosts in the EU and is ISO 27001 certified. We did not verify the certificate.
What Lettermint does better than Mailgun
- Dutch entity, with a European contracting company on a single clear page
- Free plan includes SMTP, API and webhooks
- Inbound email and sandbox mode from Starter
- EU hosting stated for every tier
Where Lettermint is a step down from Mailgun
- A young provider with a far shorter track record than Mailgun
- Free plan is only 300 emails a month
- No batch send or email validation described on its pricing page
- Dedicated IPs only on the Pro tier as an add-on
Standout against Mailgun. Webhooks, SMTP and API are on the free plan, so you can test your whole integration without paying.
EmailLabs
the biggest free tier of the dedicated relays
- Which law reaches it. EU (Poland). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EEA — the vendor states that all data is processed in the EEA, on servers located in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
- Independently checked. ISO 27001, ISO 27018, Certified Senders Alliance (Essential plan and above).
Best for: Teams that want to start free at a few thousand emails a month and stay in the EEA
EmailLabs is operated by Vercom S.A., New Market Poznan, Wierzbiecice 1B, 61-569 Poznan, KRS 0000535618, a Polish company.
STARTUP is free with 9,000 emails a month (300 a day) and 1 day of logs. ESSENTIAL 30 is EUR 23 a month (EUR 29 regular) for 100,000 emails with 7 days of logs. PRO 100 is EUR 69 (EUR 115 regular) with a dedicated IP, 15 days of logs and unlimited webhooks. REST API and SMTP relay are on every plan.
The site says all data is processed in the EEA. The lower prices are promotional for new customers.
What EmailLabs does better than Mailgun
- 9,000 free emails a month, against Mailgun's 100 a day
- Prices in euros, with a public price for 100,000 emails
- All data processed in the EEA, by its own statement
- API and SMTP on every plan, including the free one
Where EmailLabs is a step down from Mailgun
- Webhooks are unlimited only from PRO
- Promotional prices rise after the introductory period
- Logs of 1 day on the free plan
- Smaller developer community than Mailgun
Standout against Mailgun. It gives more free monthly volume than any other dedicated relay on this page.
Sweego
French email and SMS API with inbound and longer logs
- Which law reaches it. EU (France). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. France — the site names OVH in Roubaix as its host and Sweego states its data centres are in France.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
- Independently checked. None published; the vendor claims GDPR compliance and that data is outside the reach of the CLOUD Act.
Best for: Developers who want inbound routing and logs of 30 to 90 days on a paid plan
Sweego is run by MINDBAZ SAS, 19 rue d'Amiens, Lille (RCS 893 278 382), a French company. Its website is hosted at OVH in Roubaix.
The Free plan gives 100 emails a day with 5 templates and 7 days of logs. Paid plans add inbound routing from Individual (30 days of logs), 60 days on Startup and 90 days on Scaleup, with a dedicated IP available on Startup and included on Scaleup. A REST API and SMTP are on all plans, and it also sells SMS.
Its pricing page shows dollar amounts that depend on location, so none is quoted here.
What Sweego does better than Mailgun
- French company with a French hosting provider for its site
- Inbound routing and 30 to 90 days of logs on paid plans
- Free plan with a test mode and API plus SMTP
- Email and SMS from one provider
Where Sweego is a step down from Mailgun
- Prices could not be verified in euros
- Free plan keeps only 7 days of logs and 100 emails a day
- Hosting location of the email service itself is not stated beyond the website
- Smaller than Mailgun, with a shorter track record
Standout against Mailgun. Log retention is published per plan, up to 90 days.
- Which law reaches it. EU (France). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: Teams that want one provider for application email, newsletters and SMS
Brevo is run by Sendinblue SAS, registered with the Paris trade register under 498 019 298, 9-17 rue Salneuve, Paris. Its terms are governed by French law with the Commercial Court of Paris. The same terms also contain variants for US customers (Delaware) and Indian customers, so check which applies to you.
It offers an SMTP relay and API for transactional email, plus SMS, WhatsApp and campaign tools. A free plan exists, but the plan amounts on its pricing page could not be read, so no figure is quoted here.
We found no statement of where Brevo hosts email data.
What Brevo does better than Mailgun
- French company under French law for most customers
- Transactional, campaigns, SMS and WhatsApp in one account
- Free plan available
- Long operating history
Where Brevo is a step down from Mailgun
- Terms include Delaware and Indian variants for other regions
- Prices could not be checked
- Built around a marketing platform, so the developer surface is wider than needed
- Hosting location not stated in the pages we read
Standout against Mailgun. One account covers API email, campaigns, SMS and WhatsApp.
- Which law reaches it. EU (France). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw — EU only.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
Best for: Teams already on Scaleway, or who want per-thousand pricing and a dedicated IP at scale
Scaleway is Scaleway SAS, 8 rue de la Ville-l'Eveque, 75008 Paris (SIREN 433 115 904).
Essential gives 300 free emails per organisation and then EUR 0.25 per 1,000. Scale is EUR 80 a month for 100,000 emails at EUR 0.20 per 1,000 beyond, with a dedicated IP and a 99.9% uptime commitment.
It is a cloud service, so it fits best inside a Scaleway project. Webhook, inbound and log details were not on the pricing page we read.
What Scaleway Transactional Email does better than Mailgun
- Per-thousand pricing without a monthly fee on Essential
- Dedicated IP and a 99.9% uptime figure on Scale
- Paris company, with the email service in a European cloud account
- Euro prices, public on one page
Where Scaleway Transactional Email is a step down from Mailgun
- Only 300 free emails
- Inbound routing and webhook features could not be confirmed
- No dedicated IP on Essential
- Less email-specific tooling than Mailgun
Standout against Mailgun. The only one here that charges EUR 0.25 per 1,000 with no monthly commitment.
MailPace
transactional only, from the UK, with inbound as a webhook
- Which law reaches it. UK. Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU and UK — servers at Freethought (UK) and Clever Cloud (EU), backups kept seven days at Hetzner in two German locations, monitoring by AppSignal in Amsterdam.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
- Independently checked. None stated; the full subprocessor list is published, and none of them are American.
Best for: Small apps that want simple usage-based email and inbound mail
MailPace is run by OhMySMTP Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 13200428). The UK is outside the EU, and its site says the service is hosted in the European Union.
It costs $10 a month for the first 10,000 emails, with overage charged as you go. A free plan of up to 100 emails a month is available on request. The HTTP API, SMTP, inbound email converted to a webhook, unlimited domains and webhooks are included, with 30 days of retention.
Its terms limit the service to transactional email and forbid marketing mail.
What MailPace does better than Mailgun
- Simple usage-based price with unlimited domains and webhooks
- Inbound email delivered to a webhook
- 30 days of retention at the base price
- Prices accepted in several currencies, including euros
Where MailPace is a step down from Mailgun
- UK contracting entity, outside the EU
- Transactional only, so no campaigns
- Free plan only on request and only 100 a month
- Smaller than Mailgun
Standout against Mailgun. Unlimited domains and webhooks are in the base plan.
Bird
an Amsterdam platform, with a US entity for US email customers
- Which law reaches it. EU (Netherlands) for customers outside the United States. Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Not stated — Bird publishes an EU regional endpoint (eu1.platform.bird.com) alongside a US one, but its privacy policy says data may be transferred outside the EEA and does not name the hosting provider for email.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
- Independently checked. Bird states that all its hosting providers meet ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II.
Best for: Teams outside the US that want a free tier and a combined email, SMS and WhatsApp provider
Bird's terms (section 15) name Bird B.V., Keizersgracht 268, Amsterdam, under Dutch law with the Amsterdam courts, for customers outside the US. US customers buying email contract with Bird.com Inc. under Delaware law.
The Free plan is 1,000 emails a month. Startup is listed from $15 a month for 50,000 to 100,000 emails and Growth from $80 for 100,000, with overage at $0.90 per 1,000. Authentication, dashboards, suppression, webhooks and 30 days of retention are on every plan. A dedicated IP is an add-on at $24.95 a month from Growth.
It supports API and SMTP with webhooks. Hosting location was not stated on the pages we read.
What Bird does better than Mailgun
- Dutch entity and law for customers outside the US
- Free 1,000 emails a month
- Webhooks and 30 days of retention on every plan
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp in one provider
Where Bird is a step down from Mailgun
- US customers contract with a Delaware entity, so it is not Europe-only
- Prices are in dollars
- Hosting location not stated
- Overage is capped at five times the plan unless agreed otherwise
Standout against Mailgun. It has a Dutch contract for everyone outside the US and webhooks on the free plan.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Italy). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
Best for: Low-volume senders who prefer prepaid credits to a subscription
turboSMTP is run by Edisplay Srl, Via Palmanova 24, Milan (VAT IT01172340919), an Italian company.
Free gives up to 200 emails a day for the first 6 months. Basic is EUR 14.95 a month for 15,000 emails, and Pro is EUR 79.95 with a dedicated IP, 365 days of analytics and up to 100 subaccounts. Prepaid credits run from 50,000 emails at EUR 49 and expire a year after purchase. SMTP relay and a web API are on all plans.
Webhooks are listed on the higher tiers.
What turboSMTP does better than Mailgun
- Prepaid credits, so you pay for what you send
- 365 days of analytics on Pro
- Italian company with public euro prices
- Subaccounts, up to 100 on Pro
Where turboSMTP is a step down from Mailgun
- Free plan expires after 6 months
- Pro is much more expensive than the basic tier for the same volume
- Webhooks on higher tiers only
- Less developer tooling than Mailgun
Standout against Mailgun. Prepaid credits stay valid for a year, a model Mailgun does not list.
- Which law reaches it. EU (France). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: Teams that want French law and a free plan, and accept staying in Sinch Email
Mailjet's contracting entities, in the shared Sinch Email terms, are Mailjet SAS or Mailjet GmbH (French law, Paris), Mailjet SaaS Ltd (English law, London) and Mailjet Emailing SL (Spanish law, Madrid). It is the same group as Mailgun and sits under the same terms.
The Free plan is 6,000 emails a month (200 a day) with APIs, SMTP relay and webhooks, and no credit card. Paid plans are in dollars and vary by location, so no amount is quoted here.
The same data processing agreement applies as for Mailgun.
What Mailjet does better than Mailgun
- Free plan of 6,000 emails a month with API, SMTP and webhooks
- French and European entities in the terms
- Visual email editor for non-developers
- Mature product with a long track record
Where Mailjet is a step down from Mailgun
- Same owner and same terms as Mailgun
- The entity that applies to you is not stated in the terms
- Paid prices could not be verified
- Credits do not roll over
Standout against Mailgun. It is the one option here that keeps you inside the Mailgun group.
SMTPeter
a Dutch relay with a dedicated IP in the base price
- Which law reaches it. EU (Netherlands). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Netherlands — Copernica states it runs its own servers in the Netherlands with its own technology.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
Best for: Steady senders around 25,000 messages a month who want a dedicated IP from day one
SMTPeter is made by Copernica BV, De Ruijterkade 112, 1011 AB Amsterdam. Its site states the infrastructure is hosted in the Netherlands. The KvK number was not on the page.
The base plan is EUR 55 a month for 25,000 messages, one IP and one sender domain, with additional messages at EUR 0.23 per 1,000 falling to EUR 0.05. A technical support contract is EUR 89 a month. It has a REST API, SMTP, DKIM signing, bounce handling, CSS inlining and realtime notifications.
There is no free plan.
What SMTPeter does better than Mailgun
- Dedicated IP and sending domain in the base price
- Hosting in the Netherlands, by its own statement
- Per-thousand price falls to EUR 0.05
- Dutch company with euro prices
Where SMTPeter is a step down from Mailgun
- No free plan, with EUR 55 a month as the entry point
- Support contract costs extra
- Inbound routing not described
- Smaller developer ecosystem than Mailgun
Standout against Mailgun. A dedicated IP is part of the entry plan.
Mailrelay
a marketing platform with SMTP and API sending added on
- Which law reaches it. EU (Spain). Mailgun is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Source code. Closed source, as Mailgun is.
Best for: Teams that mainly send newsletters and only need a small amount of application email
Mailrelay is run by CPC Servicios Informaticos Aplicados a Nuevas Tecnologias SL, C/ Nardo 12, Torrelodones, Madrid. Its website terms are under Spanish law with the courts of its registered office.
The free plan allows 80,000 emails a month for up to 20,000 contacts. Transactional sending through SMTP and API is an add-on at EUR 14.95 a month after a 30-day trial, and is included in the paid plans.
It is built around campaigns rather than a developer API. Webhooks, inbound routing and hosting location are not described on the pages we read.
What Mailrelay does better than Mailgun
- Large free marketing allowance of 80,000 emails a month
- Spanish company under Spanish law
- SMTP and API included in paid plans
- Prepaid packages with no subscriber limits
Where Mailrelay is a step down from Mailgun
- Transactional sending is an add-on after a 30-day trial
- Weakest developer feature set of the eleven
- Hosting location not stated
- Monthly plans carry a 12-month commitment
Standout against Mailgun. The free marketing plan is far larger than any other here, with transactional sending bolted on.
What actually breaks when you switch
Moving the sending domain is the real work. You publish new SPF and DKIM records, switch the sending path in stages and wait for a new sending reputation to build. Do not cut over in one day.
Inbound routes, batch sending and validation are the features most often missing elsewhere. If you rely on Mailgun routes that forward to your code, check each provider's inbound support first: Lettermint (Starter), Sweego (Individual) and MailPace have it, and for several others we could not confirm it.
Several prices are promotional or geo-dependent. EmailLabs' lower rates are for new customers, and Sweego, Brevo and Mailjet show amounts that depend on where you are. Write down the renewal price before you commit.
Which of these is closest to Mailgun for a developer?
Lettermint offers an API, SMTP relay, webhooks, suppression lists and, from its Starter plan, inbound email and a sandbox mode, with EU hosting and a Dutch contracting entity. MailPace adds inbound mail converted to a webhook and unlimited domains, but allows transactional email only.
Neither copies everything. Mailgun's batch sending, send-time optimisation and email validation are not described on these providers' pricing pages, so check your specific need.
Is Mailjet a way out of the Mailgun group?
No. Mailjet is a French email platform, but it shares Mailgun's terms and belongs to Sinch Email. Choosing it moves the likely contracting entity to France without changing the owner. That is a fair choice if you want French law and a free plan of 6,000 emails a month, but it does not remove Sinch from the picture.
Which have a permanent free plan?
EmailLabs (9,000 a month), Sweego (100 a day), Lettermint (300 a month), Bird (1,000 a month), Mailjet (6,000 a month), Scaleway (300 emails) and Mailrelay (a free marketing tier) all describe one. turboSMTP's free tier lasts six months. MailPace's free plan of 100 a month is on request. Brevo has a free plan but its amounts could not be read. SMTPeter has none.
Do any of these keep data in Europe?
EmailLabs says all data is processed in the EEA, Lettermint and MailPace state EU hosting, SMTPeter says its infrastructure is hosted in the Netherlands, and Sweego's website is hosted at OVH in Roubaix. Scaleway is itself a European cloud. For Brevo, Mailjet, Bird and Mailrelay we could not find a hosting statement, so ask them.
Which one to pick
If you want the nearest developer match, Lettermint covers API, SMTP, webhooks, inbound and EU hosting, with a free plan to test on. For the most free volume pick EmailLabs, and for logs of up to 90 days and inbound routing, Sweego.
Scaleway suits you if you want to pay per thousand with no subscription, and MailPace if you want simple usage pricing and inbound mail, with the caveat that it is UK-based and transactional only. Brevo and Bird make sense if you also want campaigns or SMS from the same account.
Mailjet changes the contracting entity but not the owner, so it only fits if your concern is French law, not Sinch. SMTPeter and Mailrelay are the narrower fits: a dedicated IP in the base plan, and a big free marketing tier with sending added on.
Be honest about the gap. Mailgun has an established track record, batch sending, validation and a documented EU region, and none of these eleven matches all of that. Switch if you want one European contracting company and a short chain of sub-processors, and stay if your routes and validation have no equivalent.
Frequently Asked Questions
By developer features Lettermint is the closest match, with API, SMTP, webhooks, inbound and EU hosting. EmailLabs is the pick if you want the most free volume, and Sweego if you want inbound routing and longer logs on a paid plan. There is no single best without knowing your volume and whether you need inbound mail.
Not as a product. It belongs to Sinch Email, which is part of Sinch AB in Sweden, but Mailgun's terms name Mailgun Technologies, Inc. under Texas law as one possible contracting party, alongside three Mailjet entities in France, the UK and Spain. Which one you contract with depends on your order.
On its pricing page, Mailgun lists Free at 100 emails a day, Basic at $15 a month for 10,000, Foundation at $35 for 50,000 and Scale at $90 for 100,000. Extra emails are $1.10 to $1.80 per 1,000 depending on the plan. Foundation and Scale carry a free first month.
EmailLabs lists Essential at EUR 23 a month for 100,000 emails (EUR 29 regular) and PRO at EUR 69 (EUR 115 regular). Scaleway charges EUR 0.25 per 1,000 after 300 free, or EUR 80 a month for 100,000. MailPace starts at $10 for 10,000, turboSMTP lists EUR 14.95 for 15,000, and SMTPeter lists EUR 55 for 25,000. Bird lists $15 for 50,000 to 100,000. Sweego, Brevo and Mailjet show geo-dependent or unreadable amounts, so none is quoted.
Not unchanged. Every provider has its own API shape, so you will change the send call, the webhook payload parsing and any inbound handling. SMTP is the easy route: most of these accept standard SMTP credentials, so an application that sends over SMTP often needs only a new host and key.
Yes. Its pricing page says you can send through the US or the EU from a single account, and its data processing agreement names Germany and Belgium for European processing. The EU region does not change who the contracting entity is.
No, it is in the United Kingdom. MailPace is run by OhMySMTP Ltd in England and Wales and says it is hosted in the European Union.
Brevo, Mailjet, Mailrelay and Bird sell campaign tools alongside the API. MailPace allows transactional email only and forbids marketing. Lettermint offers a separate Broadcast product, and the others focus on the API and relay.
turboSMTP lists 365 days of analytics on Pro, Sweego up to 90 days on Scaleup, EmailLabs 15 days on PRO and MailPace and Bird 30 days. Mailgun's free plan keeps 1 day, Foundation 5 days and Scale 30 days.
Related comparisons
European tools head to head
Who worked on this review
Explore More European Alternatives
Discover privacy-focused European alternatives to other popular US tech services.